


Camouflage

by MetalAmadeus



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Inspired by Metal /m/, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-21 23:16:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14295597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetalAmadeus/pseuds/MetalAmadeus
Summary: After a year on the force, Nick and Judy enjoy their lives. Still, they don't see exactly how much they mean to one another. Until an unexpected stop on a way back home turns into an unplanned elimination of a notorious gang. With an added bonus for Judy to find out a bit more about Nicks past...





	1. Gang went out with a bang

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Oh, finally I got my paws to this site. Time to get working then.   
> So, this was my first fic, so. Two things. First, the thing is not perfect. Who cares? Read at your own risk. Second, this is a "refubrishing" of a 13 chapter finished fic, so the waiting period between updates will consist of how fast I am capable of rereading this piece and how lazy I am.   
> For full immersion, I suggest turning on The Enigma TNG - The Glass Alice. I prefer writing something with a song in mind (figuratively and literally). 
> 
> Howleys.

\m/

Loud wailing of police sirens could be heard across several blocks of streets. Accompanying blue and red lights lit the empty front yard of a big, if old, storage house at the outskirts of Savannah Central district. Here and there, officers in dark blue uniforms moved with quick yet precise steps, heralding a dozen or so criminals to cruisers, in which the remaining crew of once notorious Raubtier gang would be delivered to the precinct, processed and left to await their subsequent move to the more permanent confines of Zootopia Central Prison. The warehouse was cordoned by yellow tape at this point of time, and Chief Bogo took it upon himself to keep media away from the crime scene by agreeing to satisfy their cravings for a juicy cop-action drama. At least partially. Or not at all, since the huge buffalo simply shrugged off most questions asked about what happened and giving vague statements about ZPD conducting an investigation on Raubtier gang activity and the fact that this one was cracked by one of his smallest officers. Again. Meanwhile, the source of a building headache from all the incessant questioning of one Chief Bogo, was sitting patiently in an ambulance car, being tended to by a small female lynx nurse and fussed over by her partner.

– Really, Carrots, the only day that I leave you alone and you go and give yourself on a plate into paws of the one gang that you should not have went after on your own! – Nick Wilde was by far the most controlled mammal Judy Hopps has ever happened to know. He never showed his real emotions, always going by the motto of never letting anyone see they got to him. But here he was, fur sticking in all directions, as if he was just out of shower (which he might have probably been, considering it was close to twenty two thirty, and Nick probably heard about what happened from Clawhouser half an hour ago), tail twitching in agitation, and most notable – his eyes. Those emerald orbs, always closed off, held such fear as of right now, the rabbit was wondering if he was more scared from the ordeal she was through, than Judy herself.

– Relax, Nick. I am fine, see? – Hopps put on one of her most confident smiles, but the nurse decided exactly at that moment to poke on her lower left rib. The resulting yelp from the bunny, made Nick glare at her for a moment, before he turned to the lynx, who seemed finished with prodding his friend and started to pack up the first aid kit she used to treat some of the officers bruises. Nick didn't joke around, when he said he knew everyone. His partner learned this the hard way first time she tried to conveniently skip a trip to a hospital after their first big run in into trouble. Judy thought she would simply sleep off the "light" bruising she suffered in scuffle with an angry tiger, even after promising to get checked on her own after bringing the culprit in for processing. Being dragged from her apartment by an errant fox by the ear, like some petulant child, was definitely not among the best memories she had shared with her partner, who got a call from hospital receptionist that his bunny has never showed up for a check up. So it didn`t come to Judy as a surprise, when the red fox started addressing the lynx nurse in a familiar manner

– How is she, Meg? – The small feline gave him a dismissive wave of her paw and after Nick seemed to relax, started talking to Judy.

– Okay, officer, you seem to be fine, despite some rather hard bruising of your lower ribs on the left side. I suggest you take it easy for at least a week, and after that you are free to charge into a den of danger again. – Turning to Nick, the lynx gave him a small smile and a shoulder shove.

– You keep your partner away from thugs this week, you hear me, fox? – Uncharacteristically, Nick didn't have any fast quip on his tongue, and simply nodded to the instruction. He already was going to keep Judy as far away from activities as possible, but now that he had doctor's orders, it would be so much easier for Bogo to bar the bunny cop from pestering him for some action.

– Let's go, Fluff. I think Bogo will want a good explanation for what has happened here. – Nick's voice drew Judy out from her grumblings in regards to once again being left with nothing but paperwork to do. Jumping out of the ambulance car, she said goodbye to the lynx, and followed her now looking more collected partner. She saw his mask returning back into place, face shifting from previous anxiousness to confidence, eyes once again locking up whatever feelings ravaged his soul.

Not really knowing what to say to him for now, Judy kept silent, simply following the fox. They probably would have a talk about this later, when Nick was sure his emotions were under his total control, and he would be able to discern her why what she did was totally wrong. What the bunny didn't expect though, was the fact that Chief didn't want to hear from her now.

– Get yourself out of my sight and before seeing you again tomorrow at thirteen hundred, I want to be reading a report about what and why happened here. If I see you before that report, Hopps, I promise, you will be on metermaid duty for the rest of your half-life. Am I clear? – Silently making a gulping noise in her head, the bunny cop gave her chief a "yes, sir" and crisp salute, not daring to test his patience with whining and protests. The intimidating buffalo was apparently royally annoyed after having to be under the scrutinizing eye of press not on his terms and way out of his comfort zone. Which was exactly why one of the silent precinct rules stated that, if possible, Wilde was the one to deal with all the pests from press outside of an official press conference hosted by the ZPD. His con-man experience and silver tongue could twist and bend words to his will, making mammals believe they had been given something even if that something was nothing. Or simply evade all the right questions with wrong answers. Now, having been officially made to wait until tomorrow to file her report (at the precinct, that is, but no one would be aware if she did it at home, right?), Judy decided it was time to go back. But, before she could formulate her words to Nick, the first fox and bunny cops were surrounded by their colleagues.

– Hopps, you okay? – sounded slightly alarmed voice of Whitefang, a white wolf (surprisingly enough), to whom she was assigned today as a partner, since both Nick and Degato took days off. In response, Judy once more showed her best smile.

– Yeap, just a little bruise. Nothing a nights… – being interrupted by one obnoxious fox's tap on the shoulder and a pointed gaze, the bunny concede with dropping ears.

– Alright, weeks rest won't be able to fix. Happy now? – her last sentence was directed to Nick with a glare, and seeing his satisfied smirk did little to diffuse her, to put it mildly, unhappiness at the admission. Preparing to say her goodbyes, the bunny officer opened her mouth, when she was interrupted by an unbelieving Grizzoli.

– Wait, wait, wait, Hopps. You mean to tell us, that you yourself took on thirty tough as nails seasoned gang members with actual military grade diskthrowers, knocked out twenty of them, and left a dozen barely able to walk? – The polar bear's progressively higher and louder exclamation drew attention of precinct one day shift officers, who responded to the call, but now left everything in the paws of night shift. Judy tried to respond, but was interrupted by Francine.

– You know what, guys, this is not how this is done. Like at all. We all want a proper story, right? – The towering elephant turned around, and receiving only support from her colleagues, turned to the rabbit-fox duo with arms crossed.

– You, Hopps, owe us a good narration with all the details. I believe Jack Sparrow's is not far from here, right Wilde? - After Nick confirmed that the restaurant was in fact just a block away, and open till at least twenty three hundred for receiving customers, the small crowd of officers dragged poor bunny and one smug fox there to share with them her exciting adventure. It was because of this, that Judy Hopps, first bunny super-cop, found herself rather than preparing a report about her day for chief at her apartment, being in a circle of curious eyes of her colleagues.

Dramatically sighing (that fox partner of hers was definitely rubbing off on her, after the whole year of their partnership), Judy started.

– Well, I was driving back home from my shift, when this one coyote ran across the street, seemingly chasing after something…


	2. Rabbit without wings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:   
> The inspiration for this chapter was one of the rare female vocals metal compositions in my vast collection. Angel Without Wings by Dawn Of Destiny.

\m/

Judy's Thursday morning that day has started as many others did. The beeping alarm of her radio-clock went off, and she eagerly jumped out of her bed to be greeted by the emptiness of her closet of a flat. She then silenced the alarm, went out to the communal bath she shared with other habitants of her floor, put on her uniform and then went out to the precinct. Just like her first day on the force…

The calmness of a violin and a piano, carefully transfigured into a fast paced yet melodious thrashing of drums and guitar, followed by a beautiful voice, woke Judy up from her dream of that day. The day she had first felt the elation of helping others out as a cop, only to have that elation crushed and trampled under merciless words of a certain redfurred vulpine. Never in the course of the almost two years that have passed since that time did she want it to go any other way. Of course, the press conference she gave after she and Nick have found those missing mammals was the biggest disaster of her life, but had that not happened, things would have surely turned out much worse. Nick, being the wizened one, as he called himself after one of their particularly serious conversations that usually ended in him giving Judy some piece of advice, has made it abundantly clear to the bunny, that everything has happened the way it was supposed to and it all has turned out in the best way possible. Bellwether might still be a mayor if she did not make her mistake under public pressure. But most of all, he made sure Judy stopped dwelling on the what ifs and concentrated on what is.

Nick was also the reason her playlist has constantly been growing to include more "interesting" music bands, especially in the, what the red fox insisted to not be confused with rock, metal genre. At first, Judy thought the fox was into "that awful" kind of music. But when out of curiosity she allowed him to "properly introduce" her to the genre, the country bunny was surprised that not only could she stomach it, there were even bands that she liked and even listened before, like Guns and Rodents. Being one to enjoy good female vocals, Judy hungrily scourged her partner`s playlist for anything he had on paw. Which is why her todays morning rise was accompanied by Dawn Of Destiny's composition Angel Without Wings. The fox even got her a new dock station for her iCarrot phone (as a birthday present) with some decent speakers, so that she could use it both as an alarm to wake to something beautiful in the mornings and to listen to while lounging in her new apartment.

Much more spacious than the closet she started out in, this one contained a bedroom, a kitchen/ dining room, and a small living room. While her new apartment was still sparsely furnished, she continuously kept adding to it. Nick helped her much with this, first in finding a good deal to improve her living arrangements, and then in making the bare-minimum environment to fill up and start feeling more homey to Judy. It was an interesting thing she learned about her redfurred partner during his stay at the academy and later at the precinct – he was proactive in helping others. Nick didn't wait for others to ask him for help. If it was at all possible, he came with a possible solution to the mammal in need, subsequently referring them to his already existing contacts that he knew he could trust. Though many mammals saw foxes as untrustworthy, Nick's natural charm and plausibility of a ready solution to a question or problem posed in front of mammals usually allowed the fox to at least gain another acquaintance. Most times though it resulted in a new favor owed to Nick and a lot of gratitude. Yet, regardless of his sly, confident attitude and helpful nature, Nick himself remained a mystery.

A very guarded one at that, though most mammals could not perceive the masterfully crafted walls behind the outward façade. Judy considered herself lucky, being among a very sparse circle to actually see the red fox without his shields. But even to her, his partner and closest friend that he claimed to have, opening up was a long and tedious process. Though she believed she could understand Nick and his reluctance, give him his much needed time and space to open up to her, and to others whom he slowly learned to trust again. Her reflections have seen her through the morning routine, that started with a good soak under a hot shower (sometimes being small had its privileges), breakfast consisting from a light salad, brushing her teeth and finally going out to meet up with her partner on their way to the Precinct One building.

However, today she was to arrive on her own, since Nick had a day off. Sometimes their shifts didn't match, if one or another had plans, or they were on mandatory partner shift day. Not having Nick by her side to distract her meant she arrived almost half an hour earlier than usual, giving her ample time to catch up with Clawhauser and some others of her newfound friends at the precinct. At the roll-call for day-shift at eight thirty, she was paired up with Whitefang and sent out on a car patrol of Rainforest District quadrant three.

Judy didn't know Duran Whitefang that well, since he has graduated only half a year ago and was the newest addition to Precinct One. Somehow, the white wolf and her red fox partner got along pretty well right off the bat. This intrigued Judy, and the bunny cop tried her best in order to befriend the always calm and collected mammal, which proved to be quite easy. Very open and non-judgmental, the wolf was creative, knowledgeable in many different areas and hungry to new knowledge (meaning Judy could talk non-stop about farming and dealing with her two hundred and seventy five siblings). He and Nick shared a very interesting detail though – they were not very forthcoming when it came to their past.

Regardless, the day was uneventful and barely after seven in the evening the wolf and one zealous bunny found themselves back at the precinct. Checking out their autoprepared reports and confirming them (thankfully, the ZPD has hired PawsWaterhouseCoopers to help establish automated reporting system, which helped drastically reduce officers' paper duty), after slight edits, temporary partners bade goodbye and were on their ways. This time, Judy took back her car, a small Fiat 500 hatchback (surprisingly, it was orange, often dragging out Nick's most devious smile, but the fox wisely kept his thoughts on the subject to himself), seeing as she wanted to go on a bit of a shopping spree today. Thankfully, the rush hour was over, and she would be getting to the mall she frequented soon enough.

That was Judy's plan, until she turned to Rowningston Alley in order to take a cut. A small coyote suddenly ran out of nowhere in front of her car. Thankfully, she wasn't riding too fast, being a rule abiding and careful driver (at least while not on a chase), and so the hard slam of her foot on a brake pedal stopped the car before the poor mammal was hurt. At first the bunny thought the coyote was looking for something, maybe a ball or something like that, that could get into the lane. But then, ha ran straight to the driver's door, arms flailing and muzzle opening and closing way too fast for it to form any coherent words. Judy opened the window, to allow herself to hear what the coyote was saying, but the only words he was sprouting were "Help, help, help, help!" Seeing the distress, Judy's cop mode instantly turned on and she went out of her car, badge flashing in the face of the coyote in order to try and get him to calm down.

– Sir, please, calm down. I am Officer Hopps, what happened? – The seemingly panicking coyote appeared to be relieved for a second before his anxiety resurfaced full force.

– My friend got stuck in a warehouse, please, help! – And with these words, the bunny cop found herself running after the other mammal into a rather plain looking, maybe a bit worn out, two-storey warehouse. The inside was rather dim and Judy found herself struggling to see clearly. The coyote though, seemingly noticing her discomfort, had taken a hold of her right paw and was urgently leading.

– This way, maam. Thank goodness you were outside, I don`t know what would I have been doing if you didn't show up, I have no phone and the neighborhood is not actually the one that I live in so I don't actually know anyone here… – The coyote's air supply seemed to be endless, judging by his non-stop jabbering. Finally, they were approaching a room with light spilling out from the open door. It was apparently the place the coyote and his friend were playing at when the other mammal had the misfortune of falling down and being stuck in one of the barrels. Stupid situation, really. Thankfully the bunny cop happened to be nearby, and it was just a miracle, and now they were saved. Judy didn't know whether to feel flattered of the confidence placed in her, or irritated at how stupid these guys were. Fortunately, the moment they entered the lit room this little dilemma was solved for her. A loud "swoosh", and the first bunny cop of ZPD was welcomed by the all encompassing darkness of unconsciousness.


	3. Why I Bleed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't joke when I said that I prefer to listen to something when writing. And while I know what I want to write, finding the appropriate song sometimes takes longer then expected. This chapter was finished for a while before I posted it in the original timeline exactly due to this reason. But thanks to YouTube with its suggestions, I found the perfect fit.
> 
> So, without farther ado, look up Darkwater – Why I Bleed, and enjoy (or suffer, I don't care).

 \m/

\- What? Knocked out just like that? - One could almost hear the slight growl in Nick's clearly surprised voice. The fox was absolutely livid underneath his mostly calm exterior he learned to present to the outside world since his early childhood. That was the age he started to show others they didn't get to him. How to be truly emotionally detached from the outside world, presenting a snarky and constantly smirking front, was something that came much later, a second layer to his psychological armor. A layer that was apparently melted away by one scorching bunny with her sincere care, optimism and trust in others.

There his partner was exhibiting that kind and caring nature once more, only for it to be used and abused by some lowlifes, whose goals were so much different from those of the noble bunny sitting opposite from him. With the smallest officers on the force were Francine, Fangmayer, Wolford, McHorn, Del'Gato and Whitefang – the ones from the dayshift who were assigned to the call in about a small gang fight in the warehouse were Judy was at. Their group sat at a corner behind a round table, adapted to host a variety of differently sized mammals, chewing on whatever kind of appetizer each of the mammals preferred.

\- Well… I couldn't hear a thing aside from the coyote's voice and his supposed friend's screams. But yeah. It happened, as you so equivocally put it, "just like that". - Judy was a bit embarrassed at how easy she got caught. She was supposed to be an experienced cop, and experienced cops didn't fall into such simple traps. Traps that were meant for five year old kits, whose parents haven't taught them not to come over with strangers no matter what said strangers proposed or claimed. On the other hand, both as a cop and someone who dreamed of making the world a better place, she couldn't make herself regret her decision even for a moment. That was simply in her nature, to be trusting and trying to help almost anyone if her small bunny posture could manage it.

Nick, more so than anyone else, understood this. Her idealism was something the initial idea of Zootopia was founded on. A place where everyone could find peace, understanding, acceptance and care. Predators and prey alike. Side by side, with no reservations, no bias or judgment for what they were. Free reign of their destiny to shape themselves and the city around into whatever they wished. A place where anyone can be anything. A dream and ideal that died within a young fox so long ago to be revived from the ashes by the actions and beliefs of his joyous partner. As such, it was Nick who always encouraged the first bunny officer of ZPD to stay that way. Since they started working together, he often joked to have enough suspicion for the both of them, and he would still be able to spare some for Bogo (though the gruff chief had his own in spades). The fox silently promised himself to shelter Judy away from the worst the world could throw at them, constantly looking out for the signs of the storm to come, while his partner was allowed the luxury of seeing the bright blue sunlit sky. For her to experience something Nick had to constantly encounter (though in other much subtler forms) throughout his life… it left him with a feeling of a mission failed.

\- Anyways, what happened – happened, and I will not be able to change it. What I will be able to do, is be more careful in the future and also finish this story if there are no more interruptions. - The last part of her second sentence was directed at Francine, who opened her mouth in order to ask a question, but quickly stuffed it with her grass-fruit salad under the bunny's pointed glare. Judy made a point to slowly look around the table, to dissuade any other breaks in her story. Her gaze held slightly on the only fox on the force and her partner. It looked like Whitefang was trying to somehow comfort the fox, his large white paw holding Nick's shoulder as he was silently offering support. It was an interesting relationship, between the white wolf and the red fox. It wasn't a conventional friendship that Judy enjoyed with Clawhouser or Fru-Fru, since both canines rarely even conversed with each other outside their line of duty. Still, the both clicked straight away, showing mutual respect and willingness to back each other up in different situations.

Judy's ears threatened to drop at her partner's distress, but she held them high. Nick was far more caring than he wanted others to know. That the outburst came from him didn't surprise Judy. Somehow, during their partnership she found herself able to see him without his artfully crafted emotional armor. It was still as impervious as ever when the fox donned it, but he learned to trust her enough to drop it in the bunny's presence. Nick saw her looking at him longer then was necessary, and gave her a slight twitch of his left ear to tell her to go on and that he would be fine. Through the year since Nick's induction into the "Blues", the pair has developed their own language to communicate in different situations, loosely based on what her fox has picked up while preparing to be a junior scout (or so he told). In return, the bunny twitched her left ear to the side and finished her round of intimidating others into silence.

\- Apparently, I wasn't out for very long. The first thing to register when I regained consciousness was the eerie silence and pitch black darkness...


	4. No Sudden Movements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I do all my writing from a phone, so there are a rather larger amount of mistakes in text than I deem appropriate. Which irritates me a lot. Yet, I barely have any time to spare on correcting them, so my initial works will probably remain as they were, with all the typos, back at Fanfiction. This site will see corrected versions, but at a much later posting date.  
> Anyways, for those who did not notice, I like naming chapters after songs, or some lines from lyrics. I started this particular story under an influence of a certain song to try and feel out how my muse would behave. It was a fun experience.  
> For this chapter, listen to OFDP - No sudden movements, and metal on with your lives.

Darkness, dissolving into a bright light. Silence, replaced by the chatting voices of her siblings. And the grogginess of waking up from unconsciousness. These were the things that Judy was intimately familiar with. Being a country bunny and having a family as large as hers meant that each of the children got into their fair share of trouble. The future cop doe even more so, since she dedicated a lot of time to prepare herself for the upcoming career.

But this time it was not the case. Even though she did not feel the usual dull throbbing in her head that accompanied her after getting her head to meet and greet some hard surface, Judy did not care to see this as a good sign at the moment. She tried to move, but could not. Something prevented her from opening her eyes and no sound reached the bunny's ears. Thrown off by the situation she found herself in, Judy panicked. Her body started thrashing around, trying to free itself out of the boundaries set by the invisible foe, her instincts screaming of danger and imminent death, heart beating a staccato. It took an insurmountable effort to will herself to start calming down before she wasted all the strength she had.

Finally, Judy took control of her faculties, willing her pulse to return back to norm (or as close as possible). Focusing on her breathing and turning on her cop mode, Judy tried to assess her situation. So, she knew she was completely awake and aware. But no stimulant reached her eyes or ears, and it definitely was not because of her own malfunctioning. Her eyes were covered with a blindfold, ears blocked by some kind of plug ins, and she herself was tied to a chair. Not in a sloppy manner too, but rather thoroughly and professionally. Each leg was bound to a separate leg, while her arms were kept apart by a metal tube, tied to the chair's backrest. Worst thing so far were the plastic binders used. Judy could not reach them with her teeth, and had no hope of tearing them, since those things were sturdy enough to survive a wolf's struggle. A mere bunny was no match for the modern technology. But technology was not at fault here, and the cop doe knew it. Behind it was a mind, devious and cunning enough to lure her in and tie her up without leaving a single chance at getting out. A shudder ran down her spine. Whoever was behind this, he definitely did not intend this as a simple get together. She was a hostage. And being someone as visible as she was... This someone wanted to play something big.

\m/

\- Wait, if that is true, how did you get out of that? - this time the salad was not enough to keep Francine's mouth occupied. The withering glare she got from her colleagues and the sound of one bunny foot thumping on the leg of a chair were the only things that met her question. Even though she was among the biggest mammals around the Precinct, it seemed that her curiosity was even larger. That was part of what made her such a good cop. She never stopped asking questions, no matter how insignificant, unimportant, unrelated or obviously to be answered a bit sooner they were. Which made her a good cop. And a lousy listener.

\- Um, right. Zipping up. - the elephant made a motion of doing just that with her trunk and waved at Judy to continue. Giving the big cop a two fingered "I watch you" gesture, just for good measure, the bunny doe went on.

\m/

Judy didn't know how much time has passed since she left her car. Tomorrow was supposed to be her day off and she had a call scheduled with her parents. They would probably freak out again and start pestering Nick about their wayward daughter (they finally came to terms with the choices she made in her life, but that didn't stop them from grumbling) until he promised to check on her. Which is when he would not find her in her apartment, ask the concierge when did she leave, receive the answer that she didn't even return and freak out himself. Knowing his extensive contact list, Judy was sure that her disappearance would be noted soon, by the usual standards anyways. The real question was whether it would be soon enough. And how fast they could track her.

So caught up in her thoughts was the bunny, that the removal of one of the earplugs startled her. The cop tensed up, preparing for the worst. Even though she didn't have a single clue as to what this " worst" was.

\- I am here to help, so make no sudden moments, bunny, or I might hurt you. - the voice was a hushed whisper, so Judy doubted she would be able to deduce anything out of it. In any case that was not her priority right now. Whoever it was, they proposed help. So she silently nodded. Judy's gesture was followed by a flurry of activity. The other earplug was removed, followed by the blindfold (not that it helped much since the room wasn't lit) and gag. The bunny cop sat silent and unmoving through it. Then came the turn of those shackles binding her appendages to the uncomfortable chair. This is where Judy understood why she was told not to move.

In Zootopia it was illegal to sharpen one's claws, horns and other hard protrusions of any kind, or case them in any substance that would increase their cutting or piercing ability. And what Judy felt was definitely a claw, one from a canine, since feline species tended to have narrower and smother ones. Usually the tough plastic could easily stand an unsharpened claw, and the bunny mentally prepared for a war of tugs, but the binder gave out almost without resistance. As did the other three. Finally free, Judy almost leapt out of her chair, but was stopped by a large paw over her shoulder holding her down. Once more words reached her sensitive hearing in a barely audible whisper.

\- Hold the rope and I will get you out of this room. - With this, a thick rope was thrust into her paws and Judy heard a small creak of the wooden floor panels as a much larger being has jumped. Half a minute passed and the cop felt her end of the rope being pulled several times. Bracing, she pulled on her end, and it started dragging her up. Holding tight, Judy finally saw a hole in what apparently was her holding cell's ceiling.

\- So that's how he got in. - One mystery solved, it was time to move on to several others.


	5. And only I know why...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ok, this chapter was not in the plan at first, but then someone DARED to assume I do not know what the song Metal Militia is about. Yes, I am looking at you, USAPatriot from Fanfiction. How dareth thee?! I AM THE METAL MILITIA! I was born in the year of The Triumph of Steel, my heart is made of metal and in my veins flows molten rock! And if I don't hear the sound of metal, I go into shock. Yes, I do. So, of course Nick can't be anything but metal \m/. And Judy will fall soon to it, muhahahahahaha!
> 
> Enjoy! Or suffer, whatever suits you best.

\m/ Earlier this day \m/

\- Each. Dawn. I die! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh! - sang Nick in his best imitation of Eric Adams's voice. Of course, his rendition of the marvelous voice of the frontman of Mamalowar, or of James Catfield, Rob Calford, Brian Jhonson, Dio and some others, didn't bring him any fans among the tough crowd of ZPD Precinct One (who were all just a bunch of sissies and couldn't appreciate some classics in Nick's own eloquent opinion) back at the last "outing", but in the safety of the solitude of his den, the first fox officer didn't give a single 50-cent. He could sing here to his heart's content, and that is what he did. Of course, that was only after he got to sleep in up till twelve in the afternoon. Not that he always had to wake up at ungodly hours of before eight, his shifts were rotated, sometimes starting after the noon, sometimes at half past eight (these he hated, or would have, were he not strategically placed on those shift with his favorite bunny partner) in the morning, sometimes at half past ten in the evening.

Today though was his day off, and he stayed late yesterday playing Defense of the Architects 2, so Nick enjoyed the late wake up not being afraid to be late somewhere important. He got out of his wolf-sized bed, that was for the fox way too big, but one never heard any complains from the first fox cop. As he has been woken up by the wonderful intro of the Orden Ogan - Fever, the fox stretched, rolled several times, and dropped off to the floor. Landing on all fours, Nick stretched out his left paw under the bed, found the handle of the thing he was looking for and, after making sure everything was back where it was left, moved smoothly and silently to stand up. Going for the kitchen to start off his day with a glass of simple purified water, the former red furred con-artist (still red furred, it was only the con-artist part that was former) soon found himself singing along through the work out routine of his mornings, the only witnesses of which were his own 1st Fellowship of preheresy XVth legion, complete with Ahriman in the lead.

The only plans for today he had were to go with Finnick to Amon Amarth midday show. Both foxes loved the band and would never dare missing the chance that the Sweden's presented by announcing they would be in Zootopia for three days and giving two shows each day. He and Fin got tickets two months ahead, so it was no problem to book this date in his schedule as a day off. It left him feeling a bit guilty, because he never told Judy about the concert. And the fact that she was not much into melodic death metal (yet, since it was a matter of time until she understood the manly beauty of a wondrously structured composition, perfectly attuned instruments and professional growling), especially of the viking variety, didn't help him out much. But recently, Nick was afraid. Afraid of opening up to Judy more than he already had. It was not because of her or something she did. It was his own problem and Nick knew and acknowledged it. Canines were special when it came to the matters of heart. They searched and treaded carefully these grounds, until they were sure that the one they found was really the one. So, when a canine was looking outside of his own genus... there were troubles involved. Nick burned himself once and the memories, no matter how over them he was, made him cautious. He told himself he simply needed some more time. There was enough of it right? He just had to make sure that Judy would understand the seriousness of both his and her feelings (if she did have feelings for him, which was surprisingly hard to deduct, different species and all). But, for today the fox just had to relax and enjoy the good ol' north wolves' music.

It was much later that evening. Nick's throat was hoarse and limbs aching from the hours of singing and jumping to one of the best live bands he heard. And they even got a decent opening band, guys from Aussie, Be'lakor (apparently fans of the Warhamer, another boardgame, went fullblown fandom, of Games Workshop), when the fox received the call. In the years to come, the fox would curse his thoughts on that day. Time was expensive. Time was sparse. Time had the tendency to abruptly end without any prior notice. All in all, it would make a lousy employer.

\- Nicky. We... *sigh* We might have a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C/R:  
> KathyPrior42 - Why, thank you. TheEnigmaTNG is a mastermind I was happy to find in 2016, while looking or something to accompany my venture into DS2 world to trash something with that Greatsword... Metalstep is an interesting combination and there are still no one as good as TheEnigmaTNG. I would recommend Project Pitchfork and Neurotech as additions to him.  
> As for the story I still have some chapters left to be able to disappoint you. This story was supposed to be a one-shot, but the songs kept misleading me... Still, I didn't want to be stuck on it for a long time with going into real detailed descriptions of everything. Otherwise it would have taken me a lot longer.  
> Well, quotation marks are the standard nowadays. But in short, they are not my style, and I can be very stubborn when it comes to small insignificant things. And I immensely enjoy being that stubborn SOB.


	6. The way of the world is supersonic snakebite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The songs are from Project Pitchfork: "Way of the world" and "Supersonic Snakebite". Enjoy. Or suffer. Whatever is more convinient to you. Still don't have enough time to care.

\m/

After being pulled up on what seemed to be the catwalk above second store of the warehouse, Judy could finally see a little. Most of the lights were located under the catwalk and directed down, so apparently it only received some residual lightning that got reflected from the floor below. Thankfully, her rescue "squad" was close enough for the bunny to glimpse a few details. A wolf silhouette was one of them, but if this was a wolf, he was one of the biggest she has ever seen. While Duran Whitefang (the white furred wolf that joined them the previous year) was considered to be on the tall side of his species, this one was at least whole two heads taller. Which also meant he was almost twice as wide. The wolf was dressed in a definitely army issued field uniform, that was covered in some kind of dirt. The uniform's pattern made it hard to see the wolf in the shadow, bit Judy was not sure if he had any weapons on him. What she was sure of though, that whoever it was, she has never seen eyes kinder than his. For a moment she felt lost, forgetting about the fact she has just been helped out of a very precarious situation with sharpened claws. Which were illegal and could only mean that this mammal was anything but kind. Regardless of how sincere and sad deep down those eyes seemed.

\- We need to get lower, to the second floor. They are making a phone call. You need to hear it. - The grave whisper of the wolf reached her sensitive ears once again, snapping the bunny cop out of her reverie. Nodding, she started looking around for a way to accomplish just that. But when she noticed that her rescuer has started moving along the catwalk, the bunny just shrugged and followed.

The catwalk was wide enough for several bunnies to comfortably walk alongside it, so Judy had no problems traversing it. What surprised her, was the fact that the wolf seemed to have no qualms either. He moved in a squat, one leg at a time, with his hands holding onto the catwalk and keeping him stable. It was not the most efficient way, in Judy's opinion, but apparently it allowed the wolf to move at a reasonable pace without the risk of either falling down or unsettling the support beams they walked on. And she didn't feel any vibration or tremors going through the wood of the catwalk from the movement of a larger and definitely heavier mammal ahead of her. But what really surprised her was the fact that the movements we're exactly the same as Nick's, when the fox cop moved around the climbing simulation installation. There was not much time to think about this though, since they reached what seemed to be a section of the second floor that overlooked a medium sized enclosed space, probably reserved as a sort of administrative office. The wolf made sure that there was no one around, and simply dropped from the catwalk. Again, he made no sound that would be noticeable even to Judy's country attuned hearing, that was stronger than that of almost any city mammal. Once again putting this information for the latter, she followed, gouging the distance at around 10 feet, and making sure to land in a roll, not to damage anything just in case. The wolf, whom Judy silently dubbed as "Black" since he did not introduce himself and his fur at the closer inspection under light proved to be black, motioned for her to come closer to the railing he was at. Joining him, the bunny just about caught the end of a Gazelle song being played through a phone's speaker, that she recognized as the ringtone put by her for Fru-Fru.

\- Hey, Judy, I've got a missed call from you just a minute ago. - The shrew's voice sounded from the same speaker a second later, confirming that it indeed was the bunny cop's phone and indeed it was the daughter of Mr. Big calling. Why though?

\- Hello miss Big. This is Drake Raubtier speaking. - Judy stuck her head below the rail to see what was going on in the office below them. She saw a medium sized black bear speaking, slightly hunched over her bunny sized phone lying on the table and apparently set up there by the coyote who tricked her and was now standing a few paces to the side. - Now, I am sending you a few pictures to show you my good will. Please, arrange a phone call with Mr. Big in the next half an hour, and your bunny friend will remain in one piece for the duration of our business talk. Have a nice evening.

Not waiting for an answer, despite the fact that the little shrew on the other side of the line tried to get at least something to try and understand what was going on and who it was and why was he using Judy's phone, the bear, Drake, gave a nod and the near standing coyote pressed the hang button with his claw. The bear then left the office, with the door closing after him. The trickster-soon-to-be-kicked-coyote started messing around with Judy's phone, once more trying to use his claws as carefully as possible. The bunny couldn't see what that thug was doing, but she had an idea based on the conversation (rather one sided) that just happened.

The bunny cop turned to Black, who was expectantly watching her.

\- We need to stop these crooks. Whatever they are thinking of doing, it won't be anything beneficial for anyone. We need to call the police here, but first we need a plan to stop that coyote from sending anything to Fru. - Judy glanced down once again. - Would be much easier if not for that brown bear, so we need to develop a plan first. I think…

But Judy never got to finishing her sentence as a blur caught her attention. The next thing she knew, her rescuer was down in the separated area right behind the coyote. She would wonder about how in the seven blueberry cheesecakes did he do that, but that was for the later. How was that wolf going to fight four mammals that still were present in the room?

The answer was apparently already in the paws of Black. A telescopic quarterstaff with a fistsized (for a wolf proportioned mammal, for Judy that would be at least a headsized) sphere at one end. The thing was made of some kind of material that didn't reflect light, but still looked to be smooth enough for it to be metal of some kind.

While the trickster-coyote was not the first to notice the new addition to the quartet of room occupants, he was definitely the first one to feel him. With the back of his head, where the downward strike brought the flat end of the quarterstaff effectively and easily taking the canine out of the picture. As well as the bunny cop's phone, that was an unlucky "cushion" for the coyotes faceplanting.

Judy looked down in shock and trepidation. The wolf gave no mercy with the way he wielded his weapon. Even more, he was cruel on purpose with it, despite using it with his left hand. The bear who tried to swipe him with his giant paws got his nose almost mashed by the sphere. With his momentum momentarily stopped due to the strike, remaining occupants of the room, a wolf and a hyena, tried jumping the black wolf. He, apparently, did not know that his momentum was stopped. Black's feet turned his torso 180 degrees to face the new threat and then his right hand shot out in a swift upward arc to ram half a second later into the hyenas muzzle, rendering it unconscious and several teeth deported from its muzzle.

Judy have seen such speed only several times, when on an excursion with her class during academy to a natural museum. There they have been shown how fast a snake can strike when hunting down it's prey. It was hard to imagine a much larger wolf moving just as fast.

The second attacker followed his hyena colleague two seconds later with a kick to the groin and a strike to the back of the head. The hard metal of the tube's bottom made short work of the culprit, sending him to rest for a bit in the clutches of oblivion. But apparently this little escapade did not go unnoticed as the door to the enclosed space opened with another hyena looking in with irritation on its muzzle that immediately turned to disbelief and a start of a scream. The black wolf moved with a ferocious snarl that was more befitting a savage, making the hyena stumble back from the door and into the open space. This alerted Judy to the fact that there was apparently much more mammals in the warehouse than just the ones took out in the office. And there were only two of the "good guys". This was not going to be a walk in a park.

Nick was going to freak out if she told him about it. Not if. When…


	7. Things are never quite the way they seem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The whole story started off as a short retelling of the Sabbaton version of song Camouflage.   
> Feel free to suffer, or enjoy. I am going through the former, since correcting one's own mistakes is such a pain...

\m/

The hyena stumbled back, away from the door he opened to check what the hell was all that commotion about, and from the raging wolf inside of it. The wolf did not stop his rampage for even a second though and lunged after the new target just a second after spotting it.

\- Savage! - was all the spotted mammal got out of his muzzle before getting a knee to the belly and an elbow to the back of the head. While Black took out the immediate threat quick, reaction followed only a fraction of time later.

\- Shoot the yiffer down you cretins! - the order was bellowed by the same black bear that was on the phone no more than a minute ago. Not wasting time and apparently believing in the motto of leading by example, not just words, the leader of Raubtier gang took out something out of his pocket and aimed it at the black furred menace.

Judy stifled a gasp and once more fought off the momentary shock and feeling of panic that threatened to overcome her after understanding what exactly the bear had in his paw.

Handle of any standard firearm, wide square barrel with an exactly two by half inch opening for the exiting ammunition, and a cartridge in front of the handle. Discthrower. A deadly military grade anti-personnel weapon operating based on the railgun principle, similar to the coilgun principle of the police issued dartguns. But unlike the police issued dartguns, equipped with sophisticated systems that calculated the required charge to deliver the dart to knock the perpetrator out and not just pierce them through, the discthrowers had no such systems. Their only purpose was to maim and kill, so the only thing that was regulated about them was the velocity at which the disc left the barrel. The size of the battery installed and length of the barrel decided it, since the size of the disk itself was already optimized and used in every variety of discthrower.

Judy knew she could not stay away from the fight anymore. The wolf has helped her and took the brunt of the assault for her up until now. As a cop, it was her duty to uphold the law and help other citizens in need. And although it was this exact duty that got her in trouble a bit earlier this evening, her belief in it was not rocked in the slightest. Besides, she owed a favor, and that was something that was more valuable than even money.

The bunny cop wasn't stupid or, contrary to the common saying in the Precinct One, suicidal. She very much loved her life and wanted to remain on this plain of existence for as long as she was destined, thank you very much. As such, just going and blindly jumping a bear, even one considered small, like the black one here, was not on her to do list any time soon. Outside of a controlled environment of a fighting ring, that is. Even if she survived such an action, Nick would certainly kill her later. And then her mom. Then dad. She didn't even want to think about Bogo, who would then certainly drag her "sorry excuse for a cop's behind" from the other side because "she couldn't keep the Precinct less loaded with all the bugging paperwork by simply not dying!" No, she intended to live this confrontation through and tell the tale to others. She just rarely had time to think things through before she needed to act. So, the bunny cop just did the next best thing - think on the move.

It was these moments Judy was deeply grateful Nick has took it upon himself to teach her how to think when fighting on the streets. While her police training allowed her to emerge as the victor in fights with many similar sized or slightly bigger opponents, when it came to the streets, she would need to be able to deal with a way of thinking way outside that employed during a sparring. This included fighting dirty, not afraid to use any and every possible object or circumstance to tip the scales of balance. Against females of all sizes, aim for the chest and then head. In case of males aim for the crotch and then, in case of similar or slightly larger opponents, head, and in case of much larger opponents - knees. Just try to avoid ever getting in the way of rhinos and elephants and hippos and bears.

Judy's sprint brought her just above the bear, from where she could easily launch herself at him. She needed to get rid of the disckthrower first, so that she aimed at the steadily spitting barrel of the gun and literally launched herself with her powerful hind paws at it. A somersault later, she felt her paws connecting with the steel of the gun, wrenching it out from the grip of the black bear. A startled "Ouch!" was her reward, but Judy never stopped moving. The bunny cop knew her only advantages were the element of surprise and speed. The doe has only just touched the wooden floor, and already the gray blur of a bunny was moving towards her next target. In two jumps had her hind paws once again connect with metal, but this time with no results. Apparently, this bear was smart and prepared enough to protect his crotch from a possible meeting with something more solid than the cloth of his underpants, leaving Judy disappointed and retreating behind the hulking mass in another jump. Nonetheless, the instinctive reaction of a surprised male followed, with the bear forgetting his hurting paw and trying to shield his lower vital points from a savage assault by something he couldn't even put an eye on. Which was his fatal mistake.

A resounding crunch of metal meeting teeth, easily heard over the whistle of flying discs, made Judy internally cringe, as she saw the flash of something connect with the bear's right side of the muzzle. Then another smack, probably of the same metal connecting with its nose, the bunny cop guessed based on her experience with how the black wolf has downed the previous bear in the "office". Calls of "Boss!" were heard, and then she saw the wolf that saved her taking cover behind the falling bear. Whom he supported with the left hand, since his right was busy shaking off the bear's blood from his metal baton-mace. Not hurt in the slightest despite the constant barrage of disks shot at him.

\- It seems, they still value their boss. You should be safe here for a bit. Oh, and call the cops. - The guy didn't waste time and threw her phone at the bunny, while supporting the bear's unconscious body with his back. Judy never thought that a wolf, even though this one was bigger than your average moon howler, could do that. Something was not right, but she just couldn't quite put a thought to what it was. She had no time to do that actually, because Black just threw the bear at her feet, and went straight back into the fight, with the hail of discs to greet him. And even though Judy was supposed to make a call, the bunny could not take her eyes away from what was happening before her very own eyes. The discs, they never hurt the wolf. Not a single speck of red could be seen on any part of his body. It was as if the discs just went through him as she definitely heard the sounds of dozens of them connecting with wood and steel. Then, the wolf just grabbed a huge crate, thrice his size and even more times his weight and started knocking other culprits out with it. In a matter of seconds, the whole raubtier gang, or whatever part of it was gathered today in the warehouse, was left unconscious. And Judy was left gaping at the scene before her.

\- Well, I guess you should be fine from here on. Take care and try to be more careful next time you stick your ears into someone's business. I won't be around to help you then. - The wolf startled Judy out of her stupor with his short speech right next to her. The bunny cop turned to ask him what the hell did she just witness, but somehow the wolf was already on the other side of the warehouse.

\- Wait! - She screamed after the wolf's retreating back, trying to regain her composure. Black stopped and turned to her, and the surprising kindness in his eyes, one she felt the first time she got to see him, and one that reminded her so much of her father, rendered her unable to demand anything.

\- What is your name? - Somehow, this was the least important question she wanted an answer to, but it seemed to matter the most.

Giving a short laugh, the wolf answered her, before vanishing straight into the night.

\- The boys just call me Camouflage.


	8. Your life was and is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Turn on Project Pitchfork 'Stacked Visions" and you are free to take off.  
> Visit sable1456 and read his "No second chances", "Moonlight" and "City of Change". The fella is on another level entirely.   
> Now, off with me, back to work and to my favourite passtime. Whatching some Dotes while listening to metal \m/.

\m/

Nick was not panicking. Absolutely not. Yeah, why would he? Mr. Big just called him and said that some scumbag, claiming to be the leader of those retarded carcasses posing as animals have taken Judy as a hostage. Raubtier. The word was from an old language, Swenska, or something like that, and meant "predator". They were a rather radical group consisting of, obviously, exclusively predators. They mostly kept their exploits low key, evading the attention of the police as much as possible. Why would they suddenly claim they freaking got Judy in their hands? What did they want? Why Mr. Big? The thoughts were running rampant in the red fox's head, while his legs were carrying him out of his apartment and down the basement, where he rented a place for his "miscellaneous" stuff.

The run didn't even make him lose his breath, and his digits swiftly entered the required password on the rhino-sized safedoor. Stepping in, Nick closed the door behind him and switched the lights on. Not a big square room, only four by four, but more than enough to keep his "souvenirs" from the previous line of work. In the middle of the room stood a table, its surface unusual glass-covered touch display, which was starting to come to life.

\- Hydra dominatus, Alpharius! - Mechanised voice from the speakers attached to the table greeted the cop.

\- All is dust, Omegon. - replied the fox, focusing on the first task at hand, which was to pass the voice sample and response filters. A triple security measure, along with the password, and one had to pass at least two not to be locked up inside until cops came and busted the poor idiot out. With nothing else happening, Nick came up to the table, taking a few calming breaths to restart his raging brain and put it to solving the task at hand.

What facts did he have on hand? First, someone called Fru-Fru from Judy's phone and asked her father to the phone. Second, that someone claimed to be the Raubtier gang leader. Mr. Big was not acquainted with that one, so he could not confirm this claim. Third, the claimant also threatened with having Judy as a hostage, and a promise to provide proof of that and further instructions in a bit. Fourth, Mr. Big immediately notified Nick about what happened, which led to his panicked state a bit earlier. Five, Judy was not picking up her phone. Six, his panick would not help Judy if she indeed was in trouble, just like thinking on other possibilities and what ifs. The fox would brace and take this in stride, or else he might not be able to help.

Think, disassemble, put up a plan of action, what to do and do it quick. Start straight away. The black paw flew over the interface and with a two gestures Nick had a virtual sheet of paper to write on.

\- Task one. Track Judy's phone. Task two, parallel to one. Track Judy's car. Start now. - with those words, the fox took out his personal phone, and started the tracking app. He and Judy exchanged their personal information a while ago, at one of the precinct's weekly fellow cops get together. He was immensely grateful for that right now, as the promise to keep each others' back on and off the clock has given him the opportunity to hopefully confirm this was merely a prank (how he hated himself for wanting to believe something this pathetic so desperately). A minute later, he got the location of the car. And the phone. And both did not seem to be moving for at least ten minutes now. What would Judy forget near an old warehouse anyways?

\- Fish dish. This is serious. - Checking CCTV to see what the hell happened would take way too much time. According to the time of the gang leaders call to Mr. Big, he already wasted six and a half minutes. No more time could be wasted and he had to move out. Now. Grabbing a bag, the fox hastily threw in several objects and boxes, before quickly changing into a pair of dark trousers, special trainers, and a bulletproof vest hidden by a hoody. Another box went into the bag. He could not possibly grab his service weapon since he was off duty and not supposed to even know anything. His phone might be even rigged, which is why he told he would be coming over to Mr. Big's mansion in a jiffy, while not planning to do that.

Grabbing the bag and throwing the hood over his head, the fox ran out, locked the safe door and dashed to the exit out of the apartment complex. Not paying enough attention to where he was going, all thoughts only on getting to his car and getting in, the fox bumped into something. Or rather someone. As the fox fell on his rump, he let off a silent "oof" and an internal groan at another probable delay. Nobody liked it when he was literally ran into. Especially by someone smaller. And judging by the leg structure, he just managed to bump into a wolf.

-  _Well, there goes my luck with all the grace and joy of a fracking grenade exploding_ …


	9. A dog's life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You might want to check out Miracle of Sound "A dog's life" for this one. And check out the guy, he creates some nice content based on the games/ movies/ whatever.

\m/

Nick never believed in luck. But, apparently, it did not mean that luck would evade him. Before the red fox could even start apologizing, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

\- Sorry, Wilde, I wasn't watching where I was going. Need a paw? - The cop looked up, still rubbing his hurting nose he hit when bumping into the newcomer. Standing in front of him was none other than Duran in all his snow white glory. Or, as much glory as wasn't hidden by the attire the wolf preferred when he was off the clock. Black formal suit, with a white shirt and bright red tie. This was and would forever be the target of Nick's many jokes. Today was not the day for jokes though.

\- Whitefang. Yeah, apology accepted, and I extend mine, since I wasn't watching either, - Answered Nick while grabbing the professed paw. With the wolf's help he stood up and then picked up his fallen bag. The fox cop was in a hurry, but his brain was now more or less cleared from the sudden distraction and slight pain he had to experience after having his sensitive nose bumped against something hard hidden under Duran's suit.

\- Hey, buddy, I was about to head out to have some fun. Would actually be great, if you could join. - They were no buddies, no. The wolf and the fox respected each other, but they had way too different personalities and interests to become good friends. They were partners at ZPD and each would gladly cover the other's back. Time was sparse, and wasting it to nurture something that was never meant to be was not something either of them would like to spend it on. Not like they never tried, they both knew each other for far longer than their time in ZPD, from previous occupation, and just accepted their lack of interest in anything resembling what would be considered friendship in the civilian world.

\- Fun? Well, hope you are not pulling my hindpaw, fox. Is that a serious offer? - Head slightly tilted to the side, the white wolf, looked Nick over closely, especially taking notice of the sportsbag. That contained the objects fox cop took from his personal stash. Seeing the red furred canine nod, the wolf started walking again, quickly. - Let me grab a few things of my own and I am coming with you. We are taking my car though. - With those words, the wolf cop vanished in the direction of the basement stairs from whence Nick came.

Wilde took a long inhale and then tried to exhale for a longer time. This he repeated several more times, calming his racing heart and calming his fretting mind. He said a silent prayer to the Creator for watching out for him and sending the one mammal in the whole city that could be of immediate use in the current situation. Nick knew Duran was a great shot from long distances, and having a sniper covering your back on what was to become a silent extraction mission if everything went well, was much better than not. The fox glanced at the simple plastic watch on his left hand. Nine minutes and forty seconds since "the call". If what the navigator stated was correct, he and Duran will be able to get to the warehouse in six more minutes. Duran will need at least five more to locate and set up his position for covering, and after that Nick will be free to go. Provided that Judy was really where her phone suggested she was and those guys were not smart enough to just take her sim-card, copy the contacts from her phone, and leave it where they took her. Nick forcefully shook his head. There was no need to overthink this right now. It was important to solve the problems on the "come-and-go" basis right now, until he got more information to work with.

\- Hope you practiced with our gear, and I won't have to see you hitting yourself on the head with those. - Came Duran's voice as he jogged back to where Nick stood. The wolf now sported a bag much like fox's, only it being almost the red furred cop's full body length.

\- How do you even… nevermind. Yeah, I practice, and run maintenance on it regularly. What do you think I wake up at those ungodly hours on my days off for? - the fox groaned out being reminded of his not being able to sleep in as much as he would have liked due to certain responsibilities.

\- What? I thought you woke up that early to impress your bunny "girlfriend with a space in the middle". - Duran's smug expression turned to a frown once he noticed the rather strange flinch in the fox's expression. He wanted to elaborate on what the problem was, but Nick looked him straight in the eyes with a serious expression that did not match his joking tone.

\- Don't know what you are talking about wolfie. Absolutely no idea. - Nick moved his ears up and down several times, trying to convey his suspicions. He already left his phone back in the apartment, just to be on the safe side, so he did not need someone on the look out for him overhearing anything. Apparently, the wolf caught the meaning and chose to simply nod. They both exited their building and were fast approaching a black Dodge Challenger. Any other time Nick would have been tempted to ask at least several questions about the car, but he had other things on his mind, even when getting into the door of one of the representatives of the original model, the forerunner of the series.

\- So, before we set off, what is the final destination, fox? - Duran closed the door to the driver's side and looked over at the red furred vulpine already tapping in something into his navigator. Unlike Nick, the wolf was not native to Zootopia, so he installed the thing into his old 1970's Challenger after moving into the city. It helped much and now looking to see first stage to the road to their destination, he started the engine, switched the gear and gently pressed the gas pedal. The car gave out a growl and started moving. Not wasting any more time, Duran started asking questions.

\- We have tail?

\- Cannot be sure. Nothing for now. - Nick was attentively looking in the rear view mirrors on his side and in the middle.

\- What's our mission?

\- Twelve minutes ago Mr. Big received a call from Judy's phone number. The caller claimed to be the head of Raubtier gang. He also claimed to have taken Judy hostage. Further information is to be sent to Mr. Big a bit later. I have a burner with me that I gave to Mr. Big, he will contact when he receives anything else. I tracked Judy's car and phone. I can't be hundred percent sure, but she might be near it. The location is a warehouse. I hope to at least get a lead from that place. If she is there, then I am getting her out. - After Duran heard that one of their officers was taken hostage and there was a chance to fast track her, he pulled the pedal to the metal. Yes, the traffic cams will probably get him a fine for this later, but there was no time to waste.

\- I will cover you. You go in and get her. Just don't forget to put on the sensor grid so that I can track you and your surrounding. - Nick nodded and kept his lookout for any signs of a tail.

They were but a minute away from their final destination when the fox noticed the red and blue lights in the distance but closing in fast. Apparently Duran noticed them too, since he lowered the car's speed back to the limit. There were about three police cars passing by them in the direction of the warehouse. Exchanging a look, Wilde and Whitefang decided to follow the cops, and see where they were going, and then park somewhere outside their operation zone. It would not do for someone to decide to inspect Duran's Challenger and find a stash of banned items in it. What awaited them though, was not what either of them expected.

\- What? - Nick's tongue seemed to get tangled after this very expressive exclamation. The three cars they were following joined at least seven others that have been parked in a place he least expected. The warehouse they were headed to.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love the Telltale's "Wolf among us" game. I have played it after finishing the Fables comic series, so it was even more fun to play, since BigBy was and still is my favorite character from that universe. Both titles share a very dark look on the world of fairy tales, so be warned.
> 
> On the other note, the first part of the story is over, and the next chapters will be focusing on Nick more.


	10. Foxy, foxy,  what's it gonna be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Rob Zombie "Foxy, foxy".

\m/

Nick was uncharacteristically quiet. After Judy finished telling her tale, there were some questions followed, and while she was sure that no one really wanted to believe what she said, they had no reason not to. The bunny cop has proved to be truthful and sincere in what she did. And while the tale was strange, there was no reason for her to lie. Also, the fact that Wilde and Whitefang have apparently believed her helped the others to push their doubts back. The cops left the restaurant soon after and went their separate ways.

Nick though insisted on making sure Judy got home this time. She was a bit irked about the implication, but let the overprotective fox have his way. Deep down the gray doe knew she would probably be just as worried about her partner, were their roles to be reversed. They ended up taking her car and resuming the track back to her apartment that was just several more minutes away. Minutes filled with nothing but the low hum of the car's motor. No jokes, jibes, lectures from the bunny's red furred companion. It actually got her worrying a bit, but Judy refrained from asking when she noticed how serious the fox looked, along with him constantly checking rear view mirrors and the mammals on sidewalk. For her, that was a bit paranoid, but if it helped her partner feel more at ease, than so be it.

As usual, Judy left her car in a parking lot, just a short walk through the local park from her apartment complex. It was barely a ten minute walk at a sedate pace that she preferred taking back home in order to wind up a bit before preparing a meal, relaxing for a while and falling asleep. She hoped that once on foot, Nick would say something, but the tod remained silent. He behaved strangely. On the outside, the fox was looking as calm as ever, but his eyes roamed everywhere, ears swiveled in reaction to any sound, nose twitched looking for only he knew what smells.

Strange. The whole experience was supposed to influence her the hardest, but it seemed like it has not really set in yet. Nick though, was shaken hard from the start. This did not sit well with the bunny. She hated seeing him like this, like he was before their reunion under the bridge a bit more than two years ago. He hid it well, but at the time, the fox was constantly on a lookout for something or someone, expecting harm to come to him from around any and every corner. He became a bit more relaxed and less paranoid after the infamous Bellwether Plot was uncovered and after his time at the ZPA.

\- Nick? - Once she tried calling out to her partner, the tod flinched, as if the normal loudness of her voice was a deafening scream in his ear. Instead of speaking though, he just gave her small lift of his muzzle, indicating that he was listening.

\- You okay? - What happened next was rather sudden and unexpected. Nick stopped in his tracks, which in turn caused Judy to stop. She looked up at the tod, worried a bit about him and his current condition. What met her was a face full of utter disbelief all the way to the hanging lower jaw. Then, it followed, starting as an almost undetectable snicker in the back of the fox cop's throat, developing into several chuckles and exploding into an uncontrollable laughter.

\- Hey! That is not funny! - Was the indignant bunny's reply, but Nick's laughter was contagious and seconds later there were two off clock cops laughing in the middle of a park.

\- Okay, I have to admit. That was funny. Like, come on, I am the one who was kidnapped, who is supposed to be all extra suspiciousy and panicky, while the one who did all the jumping and succumbed to paranoia was you, dumb fox! - Sides hurting and tears rolling from a long laugh, had the bunny deciding to take a sit at a bench. There were several of them, lining the route through the park, a bit away from road to allow visitors some refuge from the route and its users. Nick joined her just a few seconds later.

\- Sorry, Carrots, have to revoke your sly card for today, what with being fooled by something that is not this sly and cunning fox, dumb bunny.

\- Realy? If I remember correct, I outhustled your sorry tail, so this means that you are at the bottom of the cunning and sly food chain, mister.

\- Oh no, somebody call the cops, there is a vicious gray hustle-shark and she came to eat me! Heeeeelp! - Nick pretend screamed while Judy was making an impression of huge jaws snapping at him with her hands.

\- No one is going to hear your futile cries, hustle-plankton, muhahaha!

A few minutes later, the two partners were sitting as they usually would when hanging out together and not doing anything but resting quietly. Nick leaning on the back of the bench with Judy leaning on his side, hugging her knees.

\- Do you believe me? The story that I told? - The question was mostly unneeded, but the doubt she saw in her colleagues eyes, when claiming the whole band was mostly knocked out by a single wolf, made Judy question herself.

\- Pfft. Of course I do, Carrots. Though, you do understand, that you will have to prepare two versions of the report, the real one and one more believable to give old chief a way out of this mess, right?

\- What? Lie on a report? That…

\- Not lie, Carrots, just omit certain things, like the number of mammals helping, the very fact that they were helping you, and let others draw whatever conclusions they want. It's a standard tactics in this kind of situations.

\- But, Nick, why would I…

\- Carrots, I know you don't lie. And I know that it is possible. But think about other mammals. A single wolf beating black bears and a dozen other mammals armed with diskthrowers. Relentlessly shooting, since the whole warehouse is probably covered in disks. That is as close to impossible and unbelievable as it gets.

As much as Judy was reluctant, she knew Nick was right. Nevertheless, she did not like it. She was honest. But this was not a question about honesty, this was a question about bureaucracy. And the tod was right. She would be honest with chief Bogo, give him the true version and the slightly corrected version. It would be then the buffalo's decision. There was something else though, that caught her attention.

\- Nick? What do you mean you know that is possible? - the bunny doe's voice was laced with suspicion.

\- Thirteen seconds. Not bad, Carrots, I was starting to think you would never catch on. Still, I should probably deduce points…

\- Stop yapping your muzzle and start answering the question, fox. Or your tail suffers. - To make her threat more substantial, Judy grabbed the end of tod's tail and pulled it into her lap. The fox was unfazed though and simply lifted and eyebrow. Shrugging, he just settled back into his relaxed position.

\- I was not always a hustler, you know? I tried honest jobs. Some even accepted and lasted for a while. I was twenty five, almost a decade ago, when...


	11. Zero Gravity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: All of this is a result of my mind's irrational thought process due to extensive reading and listening to music, thus completely fictional.   
> Go for Wolfheart "Zero Gravity" and continue reading.

\m/

Private First Class Nicholas Wilde. The fox tod rolled this combination of words in his thoughts once more. He liked the sound of it. Drafted six months ago after one of his acquaintances, a timber wolf named Greg, gave Nick a call and said that the army was drafting and smart guys like him were needed. At first, he was reluctant. There was a conflict brewing, and the tod was aware of that. Most of Zootopia was, with one of the current mayoral candidates, a pig, blaming predators for starting it, and thus trying to steal several more voices away from predator candidates. An interesting view on the things, in the fox's opinion, since most of the participants of the negotiations from the United States of Animalia side were prey species.

And yes, the representatives of the Vu Qang were also prey. Not much place for predators in a monospecie country. Vu Qang was populated by saola, a bovine specie, living on a large peninsula of the Asian continent, covered with thick forests. Nick was aware of that but he never really wanted to get much into politics, so he never watched after the development of the conflict between two countries that sparked due to Vu Qang's leader offhand remark about Animalia's rulers being weak and cowardly. This led to heated exchange of words, and this led to Animalia's representatives being threatened with rather real possibility of death. What happened later was mostly classified and kept away from the general public. The result of this though was that Animalia has started economical blockade of the Vu Qang, and was preparing for a military campaign.

But back at Zootopia? Prey animals only became more and more intolerable towards their predator cohabitants. This was a time that went down in the unofficial pred story as the "late thirties", in reference to the much earlier rise in tensions between two groups during the great recession of the 1930-th. Nick faced even more prejudice than usual with him being born a fox. He was still trying hard to stick to his latest honest job of being a business analytic in one of the consulting companies. But the company had faced some troubles during those times, and a lot of the staff has been released. They were offered a chance to be reemployed once the situation within the market got back to growth, but even with a care package, that was not enough for the fox. He could survive for several months, which he did prior to receiving the call from Greg, but with no one willing to give him a normal job, and cons being out of question due to the tension, Nick was unsure what to do with himself.

He was a city mammal through and through, he was not confident he would be able to survive in a village even if the folks there were not as biased as the one's here, at the illustrious and lying city of Zootopia. Even though Nick claimed he was not going to let anyone get to him, the steady pressure, accumulated over years, slowly was draining even him. Maybe sitting at home several days straight with nothing much to do but mule over his worthless and unfair life so far was not helping either. In the end, that is why, when Greg told him that the army was drafting, the fox eventually thought "why not?", silently packed his belongings, and left.

This is how Nick found himself in the ranks of State Defence Armed Forces infantry. After half a year of intensive training, he was given the PFC rank and transferred to Eastern Front Command. Which effectively meant he was sent to Vu Qang. USS Monitor was his transport, a destroyer class warship, sailing to their destination in a group consisting of four destroyers total. They were carrying around two hundred infantrymen, with around forty stationed on the Monitor. Most soldiers were of larger species, even though there were enough close to fox-sized species aboard too. But surprisingly, who Nick got close to, where a bunch of rowdy looking wolves.

He was skulking around the ship one evening, the thoughts that were haunting him during his last days in Zootopia returning in the lack of constant distraction provided by the arduous army preparation course. It was when he heard a sound that got the red fox's ears perking up and following in the direction from whence the sound came. The sound of distorted guitar, that was mostly used in metal genre, drew him closer and closer, while growing louder and louder. Nick really hoped for this to be what he hoped it would be. The tod was right.

Once he reached the slightly ajar door, the words started. Low growling voice of the vocalist had a pleasantness to it, but Nick could not recognise the band or who sang. Caught in the moment, the red fox closed his eyes and silently listened to the lyrics.

Something in those words, the way the music was played, the voice, touched the deepest recesses of his soul and for a moment alleviated all the load from his heart that accumulated there. For the first time in a while, Nick felt that all was not that bad and he could go on the way he usually went on. Not letting anyone see that they got to him. He was not running away from the city. Not this fox. This fox was trying to find his place, and why the hell not in the army, if that was the place that would allow him to shine?

\- You spying here, or what? - Came a voice from above him and drew the tod back to the present. His eyes snapped open and he lifted his muzzle slightly up to see who he was talking to. Another wolf, though this one was covered in thick blackish fur and was a good deal taller than any other wolf Nick ever saw. Could be mistaken for a black bear actually.

\- Private? You bad on your ears? - the subtle threat behind the tone of the wolf got Nick quickly pulling himself together as he understood that the figure in front of him was behaving not like your average frontline trooper. Though, he would not be able to tell his rank anyways, since the wolf was out of his uniform and too tall to tell from such a distance.

\- No, sir. Was just enjoying the music and got distracted for a bit. Your sudden appearance did not help either. Sir. - Although they officially were not yet assigned to any squadron, and Nick was not that keen on controlling his speech pattern yet, he at least tried to show a modicum of due army respect.

\- Enjoyed the music? Really? What's the genre, than? - The wolf's voice was laced with suspicion now, though lacking any signs of hostility, so Nick guessed his approach to the black figure was at least partially right.

\- If I am not mistaken, melodic death metal. Took to the genre only a while ago, I am much more into the good old heavy, sir. Never heard the band or the vocalist before. - Nick was mostly sure about the genre, even though the tod knew not the name of the band.

\- Heavy? I can full heartedly say I agree. And the band's name is Wolfheart. You might want to check them out when you get back home. Well, don't just stand here though, get in. The guys will be happy to have somebody new join them. And I have places to be. See you, fox. - With these words, the black wolf pushed the doors to the storage room open. Nick looked in, to see a bunch of mammals sitting inside, relaxing and listening to a couple of speakers set up in the middle of the space. Glancing back, the tod could no longer spot the black figure, so he just stepped in.

\- A big bad wolf whispered in my ear there might be a secret meeting of a true mammals' music club here. Care if I join?

It was strange how one's love for heavy metal music could be a much more sure way to connect completely different mammals, than a dozen of multimillion dollar campaigns with loud slogans against prejudice, bias, and other vices present in society. Pred and prey species mixed easily within that company Nick discovered that night, and nobody cared about the fact he was a fox. For them, he was a fellow metalhead, no matter the species, favourite band or genre. The week he spent on the USS Monitor was probably the calmest and funniest during his adulthood. In the year that followed, and the conflict it brought, he always thought about that time with fondness, hoping that maybe, someday, things could be like that again. He just needed to survive the war. But if he didn't? Who cared.


	12. Not going away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The song is Ozzy Osbourne "Not going away".

\m/

Nick was now a part of the 63rd Infantry Corps Battalion, stationed on the eastern shore of Vu Qang, along with 117th Marines Corps Company, 78th Heavy Infantry Corps Platoon, 346th Armoured Corps Platoon and 84th Air Corps Squadron.

He was assigned to 4th platoon under 1st Company, known off the protocols as Sniffers. The platoon was comprised mostly from wolves and coyotes, several lynxes and now also included a fox. This was when the tod finally met Greg, sargent of the 4th.

\- Nicky boy, I was starting to get nervous, thinking you might've tricked me into believing you applied. - The grey timberwolf was a typical representative of his species. Shockingly, grey and white coloured his fur while he was a full head higher than the fox tod. And a whole lot wider in the shoulders. Apparently, having all that extra muscle mass paid off more than the fox's slender build with all the hell they were hastily put through. A hell that his instructors apparently had for breakfast while drinking tea and discussing the properties of soil and dirt under different conditions. Simultaneously leading "new meat" on a merry morning jog, full speed ahead, taking sips on the move and looking comfortable.

\- You okay there man? - The wolf's question brought Nick back from his musings into the real world. He would need to remember that his quiet time was over. This was no playground. The fox could be killed because of spacing out. It was time to finally mammal up.

\- Sorry sarge, got overwhelmed there for a sec. This is no promotion video they show you on a screen. So, yeah. I am fine though, Greg. Thanks for having me. Oh, by the way. - At this, the red fox stood straight, assuming his attention stand and threw right paw up to his forehead in a salute.

\- Sir, Nicholas Wilde, PFC, reporting for duty, sir. - The fox was usually not a sticker for rules, looking for loopholes and grey zones in the letter of law, that he could exploit for his own benefit. But here, you first had to get on the good side by showing that you actually knew and could follow the rules before you were given the privilege of glassing over them.

\- At ease, private. - Greg saluted back and the tod relaxed his stance. - I read your file, it says you are good at all this official staff, but save it for those uptight bureaucratic asses and parades. Here, we are just battle brothers, so the overall show of respect and executing orders will get you farther than all the stupid posing. - This got a chuckle out of Nick, since he actually met Greg at one of Mamalowar's concerts they gave in Zootopia. The wolf started leading Nick to where their division was located as of now.

\- So, no wimps and posers in our squad, sarge? - Greg grinned at the tod's comment, bearing all of his fangs, startling some deer, judging by his new uniform a recent addition to garrison staff, or more commonly called "foodpacks". The deer was immediately being scolded by his supervisor, a goat in his forties, for "sissy behavior" and told to man up, since he was in the army now.

\- Left the hall after our new lieutenant took command of the platoon. Introduced the doctrine of mentally screening out "unfit" elements for the line of duty the 4th specialises in.

\- And that would be?

\- Why, sniffing around, of course. - Greg turned around to face Nick, while continuing moving backwards.

\- We are the eyes and ears, though much more importantly, noses of our glorious battalion. The lowlives usually confuse us with the scouts.

\- How dare they?

\- Don't get me even started on this. Anyways, I guess you aced your sniper's specialisation test?

This didn't get an answer from the tod, just a raised brow. To get into Greg's squad, one had to meet several criteria: be a member of canidae species, have a uni degree, be good with a sniper rifle, meaning you had to be in the 10 percentile of your sniper class. Nick was not really one to humble himself or diminish his skills compared to others, but he was also not someone to openly brag. Especially, since he was the top of his sniper's class and set a new record for medium sized mammals in a three minute takedown simulation. That was mostly due to his and his partner's cooperation. Rupert, a raccoon in his training as a spotter, was really good. The record was a result of their joint effort and Nick regretted to have to part ways. He would not need a spotter soon though, he hoped.

\- Okay, got it. You passed, otherwise you wouldn't be here. But, time for the introductions. - Greg stood in front of a door to simple barracks.

\- I asked the guys to gather now so we could get the thing away in one go. Ready?

\- Nope. But, you know, who ever is?

\m/ A month later \m/

\- First kill? - The casualness with which Greg asked him this question, made Nick want to hurl. He killed another mammal. No matter how much he hated some dipshits back at Zootopia, he knew he would have never killed anyone of them. And knew that no matter how bad they were in their hatred of him or his species, the worst he would ever get would be the slurs, glares and occasional refusal of service. Even exchanging blows was a rather rare occurrence between the civilized mammals in the streets, most happening during protests or similar happenings that the city have not seen in awhile.

\- How… How can you talk about it so calmly? How do you even do it so calmly? - Was his reply to the wolf sitting next to him and checking his boltgun. Lightweight, made from durable alloys, they came in lots of different variants. Greg's was as long as the wolf's forearm, with a grip at the back and a place for magazine in front of it. The body of the boltgun was square and rough, easy for mass producing. The key parts of a boltgun though were its barrel and ammunition. The barrel was made of a pressure resistant metal alloy, with a number of gas vents, placed so as not to disrupt the flight of bolts, ammunition fired by the boltguns. The bolts, to a certain extent, facilitated rocket launching technique, with several types of hard fuel located at its end for three stages of flight. At the first stage, the standard issued infantry bolt was pushed out of the barrel at around 50 m/s (~150 ft/s), then out of the barrel the second stage propellant accelerated it to around 780 m/s (~2100 ft/s) over the course of 17 milliseconds. The third stage took bullet at a much lower rate of acceleration to 850 m/s (~2550 ft/s) velocity over the course of half a second. This made optimal location of target at around 350-400 meters away from your firing position, and the weapon was rather lackluster against heavily armoured units at a distance less than 20 meters, while turning completely ineffective after the enemy got within five meters of your person. Which is why knives and axes were still employed by the army.

Nick knew the theory very well. He studied it while in training, tested in the training grounds and now in the real world. The tod stared at his personal issued boltgun, different from Greg's only due to installed snipescope, like he had seen it for the first time. It saved his life, yet taken the other's. The fox felt like throwing it away and not letting go of it ever at the same time. The conflict within him amplified by the terrible feeling of killing.

\- Well, I am calm now. It takes a lot to get… not used to, but being able to switch off the ability to feel. You have a maxim "never let them see they get to you". If you do simple math, and cross out the "see" and the "they", you suddenly get the right formula. "Never let them get to you".

\- Easy for you to say, you have been doing this for how long? - there was an edge to Nick's voice, something he was not used to dealing with, but he didn't care now. This was wrong, the way that the wolf he thought he knew was talking about something as abhorrent as taking a life.

\- Easy? Saying things is always easy, is what you have been doing half of your life, fox, so don't get that tone with me. And if you interrupt my explanation one more time you can get to talking with the first psychologist after you are returned back home in a nice wooden suit. - His partner's bared fangs and aggressiveness quickly reminded Nick of where he was. This was no Zootopia where this kind of attitude would be tolerated or ignored. And he was not the first one and not the last one to make the first kill and have to face the consequences. Not trusting his own voice this time around, Nick just lowered his ears and nodded once, which seemed to satisfy the wolf.

\- As I was saying, it is a sort of a switch to ward the unnecessary feelings off. You flip it on most of the times, yet flip it off during the hard times and while in an engagement. We are no ordinary mammals, Nick, we are soldiers. Most idiots think that we are simply some mammals ready to die to protect our country. We are not. Hail, kill and only then die. That is the truth, Nick. We are here to kill, and not just to keep our country safe. We are no innocents, but we are not killing here for pure fun. Like those bastards do. Have you not seen? Have you no understanding of what would have happened with those villagers would we not intervene? Those freaks are hunting and killing just because they can. True, I have been doing this much longer than you have been, and I have witnessed some things I wish I might unsee. But you know what? If it would have meant that no one else would have to see those things, I would want to see all those horrors. This is why you are here, Nick. Because you can bear to do something others can't. We are no heroes here, but if we don't do what we do, here and now, who will? If I am to suffer because of that, so be it. But, since I am no hero, I would rather not. So, I use a switch. I turn off my feelings. But only for the engagements, not for everything. It is unhealthy and leads to issues with other mammals later on. And yes, Nick, it IS simple. You just have to believe and accept it. And then use it. Many things our Creator gives us are simple. We, mammals, are just unable to comprehend it and want things to be complicated.

It was on that day that Nicholas Wilde learned two things. First one, was that the real way to not letting anyone see they got to him, was not to let anyone get to him in the first place. And the second one was that he was not going away. The fox would remain in the army, he would not be broken and would not be frightened by the goings and happenings of the life he now led. This small episode was shameful but the tod would put a lot of effort into proving himself. After all, he encountered Death today, and after that terrifying episode, he was still present.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: From the marketing point of view, the name of the story is a disastorous one, not catchy, and there is a lot of competition flying around. Really, I tried searching it through google with the title, and oi lol, did I find a lot of other stories with the same exact title. Oh well, I don't really care, the point of it all was to get to tell a story from the song, seen by me in a familiar and lovable setting of Zootopia, but that go a biiiit out of control. Just that tiny freaking bit, where I did not plan everything beforehand and just went with the flow. A flow that changed within my head at least twice or thrice a day depending on what song I listened to at the moment...


	13. Camouflage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love the number 13. So I decided to pile up the planned to be last two chapter and turned them into one.   
> So, turn on the song by Stan Ridgway - Camouflage, and enjoy. Or suffer, whatever suits you. Nope, don't care still.

\m/

It was almost seven months since that fateful day that Greg helped Nick overcome his first kill shock. The army life did wonders for him and his self esteem. No one looked at the tod down, no one called him a thieving sly con that ought to stay away from honest mammals. Here, his comrades relied on his skill with the snipescope to cover their backs and keep them safe. It was a wonderful change from what the red fox was used to back in the city of Zootopia.

Most of the time the fox tod actually was commissioned by the 117th Marines company, consisting solely of wolves. They operated as a pack and rarely did an outsider got accepted into their circle. Nick's laid back personality while in the safety of the base and ability to warm his way even to the hardest of "clients" got him the marines approval and respect, as well as several acquaintances. This drastically helped with drawing bridges between the 117th Marines and 4th Infantry companies. The fact that Nick was a fox, meaning he was much smaller than any wolf marine, and quite useful in almost any kind of situation in the jungle, landed him an almost constant joint patrol missions with the marines. Which wasn't bad. He did the recon, they did the shooting. Once in awhile the tod would snipe a saolan from afar and that would be all.

Still, Nick never actually thought he belonged in the army. Sure, he was good and had a tally of kills and saved mammals long enough to grant him several medals, that the tod refused. He never actually got over his disgust of killing others. He knew now that most mammals never did, just learned to cope with it, and those serving under the 4th had strong conviction to keep serving even through clenched teeth and death cries of others.

The tod also feared a lot of things. Nick feared the slow but sure bullets of saolan airguns, deadly arrows and spears they employed during silent raids. Feared not realising an enemy has crept up from behind and was getting ready to slash his throat open with a dull knife. No one begrudged him that. Everybody on the frontline feared something, but once again, they knew how to cope with it and overcome it when time called. In the end, they were all just mortals…

On that night Nick saw his lieutenant for the first time. A tall athletic wolf, his fur the colour of midnight sky, eyes painted with gold, angular features of his face betraying a stern character. The black wolf trusted his sergeants to look after their squads and therefore was rarely seen by the soldiers. Lieutenant accompanied the colonel in charge of their battalion, a middle aged horse with chestnut fur and amber eyes. Whole platoon, three sergeants and twenty seven privates, was lined up. They were to be given a special task, so it seemed, though what was so special about another jungle patrol evaded Nick's comprehension. They were to hunt down some more saolan bastards that thought to "disturb the peace of local populace" (meaning, the higher ups were afraid some stray round may fly over the fence and disturb their sensitive hearing). Nothing they haven't been doing in the last half a year while the dorks back in Zootopia tried to finally decide whether they wanted to pursue the conflict escalation route, or simply withdraw all Animalia States' presence altogether. Bloody politics and politicians.

\m/

This was not good. Their fireteam spread to cover a bit more area during the start of their night patrol, but the saolans were present in his sector in much larger numbers than anticipated, and he could not get back or call for help. This was no time to act a hero, and so Nick did his best in trying to hide. Of course, his boltgun suddenly jamming was a rather big stop sign to any brave thought that even thought of spawning in that thick skull of his.

The red fox tried his hardest to mix with the darkness and the flora of jungle. He could hear and smell the enemy moving around him. Fear gripped his heart that wanted to race, but the tod mentally held himself in check, laying as low in some natural trench as he could. Some time passed, voices and smells now trailing away and Nick felt his fear subsiding.

Just then his ears picked up a snap of a twig being stepped on. The spike of adrenaline made his movements ever faster, trying to flatten himself even further against the dirt and foliage. Nick put his gun, from which he took the magazine out for inspection, scared, counting done his fate. Before he could even remember the fact his gun was jammed or empty, the fox's brain refused to issue any other command.

\- Wait. - To Nick's right stood a silhouette of a giant creature. He could not smell a thing, and that should have made him stay alert, but the voice and words had a calming effect on his frayed nerves. Saolan people had a completely different language. The figure moved in closer beside Nick and he could finally see the stranger. He wore a marine's uniform and was a giant of a wolf. Broad shouldered, he could probably be confused with a small black bear if not for his muzzle and ears. And a long fluffy tail. What caught the tod's attention though were the eyes of the stranger. Kind and warm, they brought forth thoughts of his long gone father, whom he remembered only by that kind gaze he felt while going to sleep.

\- Don't worry son, I am here with you now. If Charlie wants to tangle he'll now have two to dodge. - Nick thought he heard this voice somewhere, but could not place it. Nevertheless, the smile on the newcomer's muzzle and his use of the marines designation for their enemies (currently the saolans) further helped Nick to relax and get a grip on himself, thus lowering his snipescoped boltgun. Still jammed, lacking that magazine and absolutely useless at such a distance.

\- Well… Thanks a lot. I am Nick by the way, what's your name? - The red fox offered his paw to the wolf. The marine's one could easily cover his whole forearm, but he took the proffered paw and gently shook it.

\- The boys just call me Camouflage, so you can go with that. - Unlike infantrymen, who were drafted to serve a certain amount of time, usually through a contract, marines devoted their whole lives to the army. This also led to them having different traditions, like leaving behind their real names and adopting new ones. Nick was even given his own, "Young Marine". But he did not remember hearing Camouflage mentioned though, but he did not personally know more than half of the marines from 117th due to their constant rotations and deployments. And there were no other marine missions commandeered to their operation. Something still nagged in the back of his head, something about the voice and the eyes, something familiar.

Just when Nick was about to ask where the wolf came from, the two mammals picked up the sound of flying bullets, followed by not so distant cries. Once more, fear gripped the tod's heart, but then he saw the big marine's eyes looking down on him from under the helmet. A fire danced within it, and suddenly, the fox felt there was no fear anymore. He could do it, with the help of the big guy, he definitely could. Boy was he glad to see this big marine.

Snapping back to reality, PFC Nicholas Wilde recalled his training. The jammed bolt was quickly ejected from the chamber, the sickle magazine inserted back into its place and the first retaliation shots fired. The wolf joined him shortly, shooting on the run, covering Nick's retreat from their previous hiding place. Camouflage chose the direction of their charge, and the fox followed. Their adversaries had the advantage in numbers, but the canines had the night vision. This helped them navigate the dense jungle and shake their pursuers off for awhile, until they once again had to give up their positions shooting the guns. Thankfully, they were able to keep up the distance for their boltguns to be effective, but not enough for the airguns to be ineffective. It was a wonder though how the saolan bullets missed the much larger target that Camouflage presented. It even seemed to Nick's eye as if the bullets were sometimes going right through the wolf. As if he wasn't there.

When the morning came the fox could finally recognize their location. Just half a mile to the south ran a small river that would lead to the HQ and the controlled zone. They both knew there was no more time for playing hide and seek with the saolan. When the sun went higher, both canids would be at a disadvantage from the numbers point of view. So, Nick and Camouflage took their chance and ran.

Things went awry at the river bank, though, when they were ambushed by a large group of the saolan. First salvo of enemy airguns fell short, and both canids hid behind the trees, but the enemy was advancing. Their boltgun ammunition was almost completely expended, leaving only the option of close quarter fight. But the bovine species were much larger than even the big wolf marine and the fox tod had much less of a presence. His axe would do him little good, since it would possibly get stuck after the first hit. This was probably the end, they really were had.

Nick shot his last shots, thinning and slowing the advancing saolans' line. He then proceeded to remove the magazine and dismantling the boltgun. If he was killed, his weapon will not be captured by the enemy, thus endangering the lives of his friends. Then the red fox saw it. A bullet, buzzing through the brush, with his name on it, making its way from an airgun of a flanking enemy.

Many say that you can see your life in your last moments. Nick saw nothing but the here and now, when everything would become finally clear. The following moment forever ingrained itself into the tod's memory. The awfully strange wolf marine, the one Nick had his doubts about whether or not he was real, just swatted the bullet with his hands. As if it was a fly. The fox blinked several times, not believing his eyes, but the crazy things did not stop there. Camouflage was pulling out a whole palm tree, right up out of the ground. With his bare paws. This did not bode well for the bovines.

The one who targeted Wilde was sent flying out of the grove, his bones broken, head and appendages set under unnatural angles. The approaching saolan group was finished with recharging their airguns and just started shooting at the emerging wolf. When this yielded no results, they grabbed their knives and ran at him.

Nick dared not look away from the scene that would haunt him for some time with how surreal it was, a lone wolf marine swatting the Charlies to kingdom come. Broken bodies flew at least tens of feet from the force of the strikes the big marine was delivering with that palm tree. Several were not so lucky and got themselves crushed against the earth by downward strikes. This was all over in seconds, with almost a dozen dead mammals. But Nick could care less, for he was not among that number today. And he could actually make out the walls and sentry towers of his HQ. With their pursuers no longer walking the land of the living, he had nothing to worry about anymore. The fox just had to cover the remaining ground and he was back home.

Nick caught himself after the first dozen of steps and turned around. The tree Camouflage was swinging around just seconds ago lay discarded on the ground, while the wolf marine himself was standing near the treeline, ready to go back into the jungle to continue his unsaid mission. Nick knew that no words could express the gratitude he felt towards this stranger. For saving a life. His life. Tears trickled down his muzzle as he simply stood there and waved goodbye. The tod could not tell how, but he knew he would never see this wolf ever again. And this made him incredibly sad. Yet, the big wolf just winked at him, kind gaze and warm smile never failing, turned around and vanished into the shadows.

\m/ Our days \m/

\- After I told the story of my night, I learned that the guy going by Camouflage was in a nearby tent. He died the day before, after laying there for a week. I am not sure whether or not everyone who heard this story believed me, but I think at the very least doc did. - Nick was holding in his paw a polished and well cared for piece of metal that Judy was intently studying. It contained all the information a marine would need to carry around:

Wolfsstund

Connor V.

2 13 J-117 6

SBTN 7734

N. Wolf

The other side of the dogtags had a series of carefully made scratches composing a single word: Camouflage. They were way too large for Nick to carry them around the usual way, so he kept them in his portemonnaie.

\- The doc gave me the dogtags to keep, and we said a prayer for the big wolf marine named Camouflage. Even though it was too late. The rest is mostly history. I was discharged due to medical reasons a bit later. Seems like I contacted some kind of local bug that took me almost half a year to get away from. After that I returned to Zootopia. I keep in touch with some of the guys that were in the 4th. Greg is still lording over my squad. Duran is actually one of the marines from the 117th. Got shot and was deemed no longer fit for the marines. I recommended him to the chief and that is the best damn thing I have done since ever. The guy might not seem like it, but he is really happy to be back in action, back serving. - Judy knew the look on her fox's muzzle. Once again he tried to pull up those shields he learned to apply during his service and kept on using long after his discharge. The story, no matter how many years separated him from that day he almost died, will always be fresh in his mind and soul. But he would not allow it to show, would not allow the tears to fall. The fox once confessed to her he forgot how to cry after his mother died when he just turned nineteen. Life was not an easy affair for any fox, but this fox, the one sitting right beside her, despite everything, despite conforming to the prejudice of the society, stayed strong and full of life no matter what.

Nick was thrown back into reality from his thoughts of the past by the quiet sound coming from beside him. Then, the fox could not just hear it, but also feel it. The bunny, his wonderful and faithful partner for the last two years was crying while trying to hug him to death. Quiet tears and not so quiet sobs escaped her, and for once, Nick kept silent and just accepted the fact that someone cared for him enough to cry in his stead. Somehow, it felt right that it was Judy at his side, listening to his story, shedding his tears and sharing his pain. Somehow, his paws found their way through the cold night air and embraced the strong yet crying bunny doe at the fox's side.

\- You know, he really was big. - Judy was rubbing her eyes, trying to free them from what was left of the waterworks. Sometimes she wondered if there was more to her father than he let on, or if she just inherited his one and only prominent trait. But now she couldn't care more, holding and being held by the fox the bunny started to refer to as "her fox".

\- I could swear that he was a bear with strange ears if I did not see him under the light. - The hour arrow on Nick's wrist watch was almost at two in the morning. The two of them were sitting and talking for longer than she thought. But Judy did not mind. If it was Nick, she would be happy to be with him now even if tomorrow she had to clock in early. Thankfully though, she did not have to (meaning, was forced by the chief) get there early so she had enough time to rest. And resting she was, in the hands of her partner. Who meant so much to her, she knew she would definitely kill to keep him. And Judy now definitely knew Nick cared much about her. It was all just a matter of time and of several actions she knew she would be taking in the near future. Strange fox culture and their tradition of vixens inviting the tods' courting. But no matter how strange, the chuckle Judy could both hear and feel coming from Nick made it all more than worth it.

\- Yes, Carrots. It was an awfully big wolf.

\m/ Fin \m/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is where this story draws its line. I am no good with romance, despite thinking of adding it to the story at the very beginning. Silly me. But oh well, mistakes are made to learn from them not whine about them. Did you suffer, did you enjoy the story? Don't care. But do hope that maybe you got some nice music from this whole endeavour. Though I still have much more to share, but those bands and songs will be saved for other stories.
> 
> As for the weaponry. Imagine that the world has no exploding substance, like powder. Reason? Some elements behave differently, or they do not exist in the world of Zootopia, I don't really know, not that good with chemistry and its application to state with 100% surety. Then there would be no powder operating firearms untill you are capable of creating a fuel usable for small projectiles (gyrojet technology). Thus the use of airguns and bows/crossbows and lots of cold weapons. Ever notice how much attention is payed to spears, swords and the like in Zootopia, while the super secret facility is being guarded by guys with tasers (like, wtf, really?)?   
> Also, I am much influenced by the WH40k series in regards to weaponry, thus the boltguns (yes, they are standard throughout the whole army, not just snipers, snipers just get to play with sniping scopes) and in the first half of the story you could see the diskthrowers (shuriken catapults of eldar were the prototype) operating on electromagnetic acceleration. Making them very deadly. I could actually follow up the story with how Zootopia is going to face the trouble that these new kinds of guns suddenly appear on the streets in the hands of gangs when its destribution is supposed to be heavilly regulated, etc, etc. Don't feel like it though. But, who knows?
> 
> What I really know is that next I am transfering my shorts and the first real big writing project to this website. As such, until next time (if ever).  
> Howleys.


End file.
